The Paediatric Liaison and Navigation Service (PLaNS) is a new patient navigation service for Canberra families with children under 18-years old.PLaNS is aims to improve the healthcare of children with complex health needs who need to travel outside the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) for specialist medical care, and/or to see multiple health professionals or services for their care.Families can access the service directly with a referral from a GP. The introduction of PLaNS comes after the deaths of two children in the Emergency Department of Canberra Hospital. For more information:  https://www.canberrahealthservices.ac

Imagine being able to understand your pet’s feelings by simply snapping a photo of them. Right now, AI is learning to do just that, by recognizing the subtle facial cues and muscle contractions of animals that we humans cannot see. Researchers at the Tech4Animals lab, in Haifa, northern Israel, are training this algorithm by using thousands of photos and videos of cats, dogs, and even wildlife... “The idea of the lab is to do anything related to AI and technology to promote animal welfare, and to develop tools to study behaviour and internal states, such as pain and emotions.” https://nocamels.com/2023/04/digital-dr-dolittle-uses-ai-to-read-animals-faces/

Cows emit considerable methane, a significant greenhouse gas, mainly in their burping. But a new study may help the dairy industry to dramatically slash its methane emissions. In the March edition of the international journal Animal Feed Science and Technology, the CSIRO study found that pouring seaweed-infused canola oil over feedlots slashed cows' methane emissions without impacting the quality or quantity of milk produced.The study will now allow for the sale and use of this product in dairy systems and dairy feeding markets. "Methane emission reduction is a huge opportunity for the dairy industry" (from the CSIRO)https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-03/low-methane-emissions-cows-seaweed-milk-dairy-industry/102169786

Bees: in a class of their own as pollinators, a role that requires a sophisticated mind and well-developed responses to their environment. A new publication - What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories and Personalities of Bees - paints a remarkable picture of bee behavior and psychology. It argues that bees can demonstrate sophisticated emotions resembling optimism, frustration, playfulness and fear, traits more commonly associated with mammals.As humans, we depend on these creatures, yet (from the author) “We are blasting bees with huge amounts of agrichemicals and destroying their natural foraging habitats". Can we change?https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/02/bees-intelligence-minds-pollination?

This report was sent to Government on 7 February 2023, then tabled in Parliament and publicly released on 17 March 2023. It is the second in a series, undertaken at 5 yearly intervals – the first Inquiry report Shifting the Dial was completed in 2017....Read the Reportshttps://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/productivity/report...Listen to the Podcast Michelle Grattan speaks with Michael Brennan. Note what Michael Brennan says about the importance of ideas!https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-michael